A Look on Trainspotting (PDF)

Title:
A Look on “Trainspotting”
Word Count:
519
Summary:
This article talks about the damaged, desperate lives of heroin addicts. The article is about the travails of a
young group of men who become addicted to heroin and how their addiction has ruined their lives. The
articles underscores the difficulties of getting “hooked” and how narcotics and other illegal drugs can cause
harm even to very close relationships,
Keywords:
overdose, separation anxiety
Article Body:
Heroin is among the most potent or “hardest” drugs that an addict could use or take. It is a powerful opiate
pain killer that produces euphoria and blissful passiveness. Long-term heroin addiction is also associated
with difficult withdrawal symptoms and separation anxiety. Heroin is taken through injected doses,
smoking, or by sniffing.
“Trainspotting” is a very interesting movie about the effects and dangers of heroin abuse. The 1996 movie
based on a novel was directed by Danny Boyle and starred in by Ewan McGregor. The movie depicts the
desperate lives of the heroin addicts who finance their drug habit through shoplifting and getting money
from their parents. The movie also shows the “rollercoaster” life of heroin addicts who repeatedly swear to
end their addiction only to find themselves again at the mercy of the local drug dealer.
Aside from the characters who are “hooked” on heroin, the film also shows the difficulties of other
characters named Tommy and Begbie who do not take drugs but still lead troubled lives. Tommy is more
fond of football and girls, while Begbie is a violent drunkard.
In one scene, the group of friends again engage in a heroin “session,” this time, with a female friend. As the
group drift away from “reality” due to the psychotropic effects of the narcotic, they also lose all sense of
responsibility for their actions. After the effects of the “hit” wear off, they were shocked to find the baby
dead and rotting in her crib. The heroin addicts were so “out of touch” that they eventually neglected to feed
and care for the baby. Naturally, the mother of the baby suffered from extreme separation anxiety and grief
after losing the baby. The death of the baby was an eye-opener for the group of friends and made them
consider quitting their addiction.
Renton, the character portrayed by Ewan McGregor, tried so hard to “get clean” and leave behind his friends
and his heroin addiction. Unfortunately, he got an overdose during his self-proclaimed “one last hit” of
heroin. After the overdose incident, he was forced by his parents to quit heroin, “cold turkey.” Renton was
locked up at home and suffered severe withdrawal symptoms. He again experience separation anxiety since
he was forcibly separated from this heroin-addicted gang. In numerous moments of hallucination, he was
bothered by depressive thoughts, guilt, and shame. Specifically, he was very troubled by the death of the
baby during one of their heroin sessions. As a means to start a new life, he reluctantly agreed to making a
heroin transaction with his friends. The profits from the sale of the illegal narcotic was supposed to be split
among them. Instead, Renton was able to run away with most of the money. His friends spiraled down back
to their heroin addiction. The film ends by showing how Renton finally gave up his friends and his addiction
by moving to London. In the city, he sought to find a new life far away from his petty thievery and heroin-
dependent lifestyle. In London, he wanted to make a fresh start and take the opportunity to “choose life.”
Gibson SG Standard